Phakoma
/fəˈkoʊmə/noun
A benign, tumor-like malformation resembling a lens, especially one occurring in the retina or brain.
Did you know?The term ultimately invokes the Greek word for a lentil or lens, linking an ancient everyday food with modern descriptions of abnormal tissue.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
φακός (phakos)
“Lentil; also a lens or lentil-shaped object”
Late Greek
Greek
φάκωμα (phakōma)
“A lens-shaped swelling or formation, built with the noun-forming suffix -oma”
19th Century
Medical Greek
phakoma
“A medical formation resembling a lens”
19th–20th Century
Medical English
phakoma
“A tumor-like malformation, particularly one associated with the retina or nervous system”
Modern English
English
phakoma
“A benign hamartomatous growth or lesion”
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